The Malaysian Dental Association (MDA) has filed a police report over a series of anonymous blog posts allegedly discrediting the organisation and its leadership.
Its president, Dr Chong Zhen Feng, said the report was filed after a sixth blog post was published on July 18, a day after he sent a note seeking cooperation from all members to move the organisation forward.
“A sixth defamatory article was posted on July 18, continuing a calculated move to mislead, defame and divide our professional community.
“We have lodged a police report regarding this latest article and are working with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission to urgently take down the defamatory blog and identify the individuals responsible,” he said in a letter to members sighted by FMT.
Chong said the attacks were not merely targeted at individuals but were designed to erode trust in MDA as an institution.
“While we remain committed to transparency and welcome constructive criticism, we will not tolerate malicious, misleading and misinformation campaigns,” he added.
Among the claims made in the blog that the MDA disputes are allegations that the association deliberately held its annual general meeting (AGM) in Sabah to avoid scrutiny from members based in the Klang Valley, resulting in only 70 of its 5,000 members present.
The MDA had previously explained that the venue was chosen to accommodate more than 500 members based in Sabah and Sarawak.
The blog also alleged that the president has pledged money to the Sabah and Sarawak chapters to buy a building without any evaluation committee being set up to study the proposal.
The MDA was also accused of fully sponsoring five committee members to attend the five-day Asia Pacific Dental Congress in Manila in May at an estimated cost of RM6,000 each, amid claims that the trip was treated as a “holiday”.
